Quote from fenn68 on April 11, 2024, 4:12 am

Any concern about Musgrove? Four starts with little success coming off losing 1/2 of 2023 due to injuries. He will remain in the rotation but for a successful 2024 he will need to make a major rebound.

Quote from Jeremy Hill on April 12, 2024, 11:27 am

Quote from 3fingersplit on April 10, 2024, 4:38 pm

So traditional batting order top to bottom…having done this for almost 35-40 years … I’m curious what you all think and why ?

1) good bat control and able to use the whole field and good speed to be able to take a bag, work the count to run up the pitch total

2) probably the best pure hitter on the team…good power, able to go foul line to foul line, good speed to steal a base and also good bat control and on the occasion when a bunt for a hit, hit and run and a RBI guy , knows the strike zone and can drive up the pitch count…the more you make the opposing pitcher throw the less he can go.

3) Power guy that can go yard from foul line to foul line and a RBI guy and bat in the 1st inning

4) Power guy, RBI guy, decent speed and sits fastball because the very best way to hit a curveball is don’t don’t miss the fastball.

5) good power, ability to drive guys in and use the gaps

6) Line drive hitter that understands the idea of palm to the sky you hit it high and palm straight you hit it great…lots of doubles

7) decent power, knows the strike zone and drive the pitch count up, decent speed and bunting ability.

8) Command of the strike zone, average speed, average power average plate coverage

9) Good speed ( he sets the table for the top of the order, able to go foul line to foul line, average to below average power but can hit the gaps

So with that mentality in making out a line up…who do any of you have batting where ?

I personally think there are plenty of possibilities with or without taking the righty/ lefty into account

Have fun with this people

Go Padres ⚾️ !!!

Smilin Jim 😃…aka…3fingersplit 🤪

My only real gripe with the lineup right now is that I don't like Tatis hitting 2nd. I don't think it's the best fit for the type of hitter he is. I think he should be at 1, 3 or 4. This is what I would like to see.

1. Tatis- He's made some comments that I think make it clear this is his preference. It gets him the most ABs and takes advantage of his speed on the bases. I also like the idea of Tatis being the tone setter from the first AB. The traditional lead off type seems to be a dying breed. Merrill may fit the mold better and could be our lead off guy in the future. For now I like giving him the softer landing spot lower in the lineup.
2. Cronenworth/Kim- I get the feeling the reason Bogaerts is leading off is because he doesn't like hitting 2nd for whatever reason. With Cronenworth looking like he's back on track I think he fits the mold. He's always had modest L/R splits though so I would go with Kim against lefties. Another spot that Merrill could eventually fill.
3. Bogaerts- It's where he's taken the most ABs in his career. Maybe it helps him settle in. Better speed and contact ability than Machado.
4. Machado- More power than Bogaerts.
5. Profar/Campusano- Profar is on fire to start the year. That and his switch hitting keeps him in the 5 hole for now. His career numbers would suggest he's not going to sustain anything close to this kind of pace. Once he regresses this could be Merrill's next move up against RHP. I've been really impressed by Campusano's approach in the early going. He's battered lefties in a small career sample size.
6. Campusano/Cronenworth- Campusano looks great so far. Cronenworth's been incredible too. If he settles in closer to his career performance against lefties I think you have to drop him down a little bit.
7. Merrill/Profar- I'm super impressed by Merrill's performance so far. If he keeps it up I think he'll keep steadily climbing up the lineup. For now I like keeping him a little bit lower while he cuts his teeth at the big league level. Again I think Profar eventually drops a bit when he cools off.
8. Rosario- I'm starting to believe in Rosario a bit at least against lefties. He hit them really well in the minors and so far has done the same in an extremely small sample size in the majors. It might be time to let him play everyday until Manny gets back. There's way more upside than there is with Wade.
9. Kim/Merrill- I like the idea of having guys with good speed and on base skills to get on in front of Tatis at the bottom of the lineup.

 

 

Quote from fenn68 on April 12, 2024, 11:51 am

I am buying into Tatis at #1 … especially if they put a good OBP hitter at #9. Energize the 1st inning and still drive in runs later in the game.

1. Tatis

2. Kim … makes contact and has speed … better v LHP but still a 90 wRC+ vs RHP, so not bad, and might be boosted if hitting after Tatis and ahead of the middle of the line-up … should also take some pressure off trying to hit for power. (Side: don’t think anyone likes to hit 2nd).

3. Cronenworth … not messing with what is working

4. Machado … power (and betting he does get hot at some point)

5. Bogaerts … if he settles into his norm … a guy who can get a hit and his reputation should help Manny get better looks

6. Profar … another don’t mess with success now (do think he will settle back … then make a change).

7. Campusano … more of a season bet … love his approach that goes of contact when needed but still have 20 HR power if needed

8. Rosario / Wade … just a hold until Manny back at 3B

9. Merrill … a combo of wanting to see him after the league starts making adjustments to him and like his bat ahead of Tatis

————

After Manny returns to 3B … sort of depends on who they choose for the DH role. IF it leads to the return of Pauley (LHH) … might need to make some tweaks to separate the LHH (Cronenworth, Merrill, Pauley … with Profar the switch hitter). I guess that is the case if they add any LHH.

Quote from MrPadre19 on April 12, 2024, 1:09 pm

Against Lefties:

Kim/Bogaerts/Tatis/Machado/Cronenworth/Campusano/Profar/Merrill/Wade

Against Righties:

Kim/Merrill/Tatis/Machado/Cronenworth/Bogaerts/Profar/Campusano/Wade

Kim is a spark plug for this team and it doesn't seem like hitting 5th is the right thing anyway.

Yes I know Merrill is a rookie but he sees a lot of pitches and handles himself like a Vet...if you're gonna move him up...."move him up"

Sixth is low for Bogaerts so it won't happen...but against Righties i like Merrill ahead of him...are we gonna drop Manny?

no...no we aren't.

All that being said I like Schildts commitment to a regular lineup....I've always thought changing it nearly every day was a mistake.

I still prefer Tatis in the 3 hole for RBI reasons....he is our best hitter.

 

Quote from fenn68 on April 12, 2024, 1:59 pm

Listening to a lot more “uncertainty” surrounding Manny’s return to 3B at the end of the month … still all speculation but he has already passed the 6 month mark (consider the high side) since his surgery. Last Padres comment was Manny will be re-evaluated near the end of the month.

No idea whether Manny is not ready to make the throws from 3B (with any quality) or they are just worried that his repaired elbow could be damaged worse if he makes the hard throws consistently. Both could be legit reasons to take their time.

Beginning to seem as though Pauley may be back as a key cog as the #1 3B in May. (Wade is just fading back to his history and Rosario does not provide the LHH balance but may be the platoon with Pauley).

Quote from Randy Manese on April 13, 2024, 9:59 am

And the last aspect of a great hitter's repertoire is power and that might come toward the latter part of Jackson Merrill's first year in the bigs.  He already has improved his walk rate and OBP by being more selective and gotten some timely hits.  His current extra base hit percentage is only 21.4% but historically it's been in the low to mid-30's.

I expect that as he gets more comfortable with the day to day major league routine, he will start finding the gaps for more doubles and some triples; don't expect a lot of HRs in his first year but could reach double digits.  Want to see him start to use more of his lower half, getting more of his legs/hips into that swing, and just a little more elevation (still a little high on his ground ball rate at 41.7 %).  If he can gradually do that over the course of the season, he could really turn into something special.  By the way, for a guy who has never played CF before, he's doing a very good job at finding the ball and closing the gap - nice range, nice arm.  Our previous CF has only gotten into 2 games with the Yankees so far this season - no hits in 6 plate appearances with 1 walk and 3 strikeouts.

Quote from fenn68 on April 13, 2024, 12:05 pm

Quote from Randy Manese on April 13, 2024, 9:59 am

And the last aspect of a great hitter's repertoire is power and that might come toward the latter part of Jackson Merrill's first year in the bigs.  He already has improved his walk rate and OBP by being more selective and gotten some timely hits.  His current extra base hit percentage is only 21.4% but historically it's been in the low to mid-30's.

I expect that as he gets more comfortable with the day to day major league routine, he will start finding the gaps for more doubles and some triples; don't expect a lot of HRs in his first year but could reach double digits.  Want to see him start to use more of his lower half, getting more of his legs/hips into that swing, and just a little more elevation (still a little high on his ground ball rate at 41.7 %).  If he can gradually do that over the course of the season, he could really turn into something special.  By the way, for a guy who has never played CF before, he's doing a very good job at finding the ball and closing the gap - nice range, nice arm.  Our previous CF has only gotten into 2 games with the Yankees so far this season - no hits in 6 plate appearances with 1 walk and 3 strikeouts.

Heard a comp with Christian Yelich who arrived at age 21 and it took about 3 seasons before the power set in. That would not be all that bad a path for Merrill (less the injuries that hampered Yelich’s career in recent years).

Yes still very early in 2024 but looking at this performance vs the 26 “qualified” CF:

WAR … #5

dWAR … #8 (I guess he has adapted well)

wRC+ … #6

OBP … #1

SLG … #9

K% (lowest) … #7

BB% (highest) … #3

Top 10 among CF in almost everything … for a 20 year old SS converted to CF … Looks as though the Padres were right on their handling of Merrill.

We may get to see him leading off a lot sooner than planned … especially if Bogaerts continues to struggle and the Padres lock into Tatis at #2 and Cronenworth at #3.

Quote from WindsorUK on April 13, 2024, 1:59 pm

How much longer does Schildty( just using Mike's familiar tone he uses with his players- Bogey, Kimi, Tati, Croney,etc....) go with Bogaerts at leadoff? End of the Dodgers series?

 

Quote from fenn68 on April 13, 2024, 2:23 pm

Quote from WindsorUK on April 13, 2024, 1:59 pm

How much longer does Schildty( just using Mike's familiar tone he uses with his players- Bogey, Kimi, Tati, Croney,etc....) go with Bogaerts at leadoff? End of the Dodgers series?

 

At least through the road trip I would think and use the day off next Thursday to then think through the changes IF Bogaerts does not get hot in the next 5 games. He (and the staff) would have to evaluate who moves to the lead-off and how that ripples through the rest of the line-up. If the Padres are wining … might hold off any move for a bit longer.

I suspect they will give Bogaerts a longer leash given his history … unless the Padres really hit a losing streak. Plus Shildt does like his set line-up so expect if he moves it will not be on a whim and with some confidence the new lead-off will succeed over a longer term.